A28 North Thanet Link

North Thanet Link will improve connectivity and resilience within the road network of Thanet. It will help the local road network cope with future increases in traffic generated by growth and tourism activity.

It will also provide additional travel routes for pedestrians, cyclists, and public transport services to encourage active travel.

A map highlighting the roads that will be affected.

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Why we're making changes

The A28 Canterbury Road corridor often faces high volumes of traffic. This results in congestion, unreliable journeys and increased concerns for road safety. Because this road is so busy, cyclists and pedestrians can be deterred from using the route. These issues will continue get worse as traffic increases within the district.

North Thanet Link will provide additional road capacity and an alternative travel route between Birchington and Margate.

It will also improve road safety within the village of Acol, by providing an eastern highway link encouraging traffic away from the village centre.

What will change

The scheme is made up of approximately 9.2km of highway improvements including:

widening of the existing public highway
construction of new highway links through proposed development sites and across agricultural farmland
associated highway junction improvements
provision of new walking and cycling routes
new sustainable drainage solutions
street lighting.

Project updates

April 2026

Our scheme design has recently been updated. We are preparing a planning application which we plan to submit to the Local Planning Authority in June 2026.

The updated design incorporates several changes based on feedback from stakeholders received during the 2023 consultation period.

Some of the main changes are:

a roundabout junction is proposed for inclusion on the A28 Canterbury Road, in alignment with the preferences of the majority local stakeholders
new cycle and footpath connections, plus a Pegasus (equestrian) crossing on Shottendane Road
the Public Right of Way (PROW) TM13 will be upgraded and realigned from a public footpath to a bridleway, with the addition of a new PROW connection from TM15 to Shottendane Road opposite Twenties Cottages
street lighting extents modified to limit environmental impact, with lighting now concentrated on junction and road user crossing areas
some parts of Shottendane Road now have acoustic fencing to help reduce potential traffic noise
the scheme footprint has been scaled back to align with the developer’s completion of the proposed link road from Hartsdown Road to Shottendane Road
the planned access roundabout on Shottendane Road between Minster Road and High Street Garlinge has been removed to align with the current planning status of the Westgate development proposals
realignment of Columbus Avenue link road alignment to avoid areas of archaeological interest present within farmland, as identified by recent surveys
the junction layout at Park Road (north) has been modified to manage potential impact on the neighbouring scheduled monument area located on adjacent farmland
Manston Road is now realigned further south near the existing junction with Shottendane Road, increasing the distance between the new road and existing dwellings
land and highway drainage proposals have been further developed, resulting in additional ponds and revised swale and ditch designs to manage surface water and land drainage requirements
planting and screening to help control environmental effects and meet biodiversity requirements
modifications to junction geometry are implemented to accommodate projected traffic volumes and address anticipated future demand
material storage and construction compound locations marked
changes to access arrangements for some properties and farmland situated along the proposed route.

After we submit the planning application, land acquisition and statutory orders will proceed, with orders published if planning consent is granted. All dates may be subject to change.

View the new scheme plans.

January 2026

In 2025, the Department for Transport (DfT) confirmed our Outline Business Case for North Thanet Link has been approved. The scheme has now progressed to the next phase of the funding process. This includes:

further scheme development
submission of a planning application (expected to be submitted during 2026)
land acquisition activities
completion of statutory orders.

After these steps are completed, a Full Business Case (FBC) will be developed and submitted to the DfT. Whilst the DfT has provided initial funds to assist in advancement to this stage, full approval and financial support for constructing the scheme will only be confirmed after the FBC is successfully completed and approved.

We expect to start construction in 2028, with an anticipated build period of two years. These timelines might change and depend on getting all the needed approvals.

The current cost estimate for the project is £76.7m and is due to be fully funded through a combination of DfT grant and funding contributions from planned residential development (via planning obligations). Scheme delivery costs will continue to be reviewed as the scheme progresses.

February 2025

North Thanet Link is currently still under development, pending a funding decision relating to the Outline Business Case from the Department for Transport (DfT). We expect a decision by summer 2025.

We have reviewed the scheme programme and we anticipate we will submit a planning application in autumn 2025.

Initial archaeological exploratory investigations at various locations within the proposed scheme route were completed during January and February 2025. The findings from this process are being reviewed and will inform the final design and mitigation package for the scheme.

January 2024

An Outline Business Case has been submitted to the DfT, with initial feedback expected in early 2024. We are undertaking an initial analysis of feedback received from the recent public consultation and the scheme is currently subject to design review.

Subject to funding, a planning application is expected to be submitted in the last quarter of 2024.

Scheme plans

The following maps show the outline of the works taking place on the A28 North Thanet Link:

Scheme documents

Scheme cost

North Thanet Link is currently estimated to cost up to £76.7 million. Funding is earmarked from the Department for Transport’s 'Major Road Network Fund' and local developer contributions.

Funded by

The government Growth Deal provides money to fund projects which drive Kent’s economic and business growth.